


An Unguarded Voice

by RefractedReflections



Category: Incredibles (Pixar Movies)
Genre: 404 husband not found, Angst, F/F, Mutual Attraction, Not Beta Read, hardly even proofread, my first hevelyn piece, unspoken attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:27:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24502354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RefractedReflections/pseuds/RefractedReflections
Summary: At first, Helen thought she liked hearing Evelyn speak through the radio because it made her feel reassured. Her voice exuded confidence, able to calm Helen even in the direst of circumstances. Having a source of security like that was new and exciting. She made missions much easier, and Helen knew that no matter what happened, Evelyn would be there to help. Of course she enjoyed hearing her through the transmitter.But eventually, Helen had to admit that there was more to it than that.
Relationships: Evelyn Deavor/Helen "Elastigirl" Parr
Comments: 8
Kudos: 97





	An Unguarded Voice

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I accidentally wrote Helen as having a very "confused straight woman" energy, so sorry bout that. There's also very little dialogue for a story about someone's voice. Still, please enjoy :')

Helen sped through traffic, weaving between the commuters as she chased an armored van hurtling recklessly down the highway. It was a simple operation, similar ones she had handled back in her previous superhero days—someone stole a truck full of money, and it was her job to catch them. She was glad to be handling something relatively simple, with no casualties or hostages reported so far. Unlike in her younger days, she had a motorbike to keep up with the crooks rather than having to slingshot herself from buildings and lampposts. While she was still alert to the chase, her goal now was to shepherd the truck off the highway rather than race it through waves of cars. She felt herself relax more than she usually did on cases; even if they left her eyesight, she knew there wouldn’t be a problem. Afterall, the motorbike wasn’t the only new tool in her hero arsenal—she had never had anyone providing reconnaissance like Evelyn did, and she had no idea how she had managed to work before now.

“The next exit isn’t for a few miles, so you’re going to be going straight for a while. Try to ease over to their left now so you can force them off the exit when it comes.” Evelyn spoke clearly but curtly, always careful not to speak too much during missions and risk pulling Helen’s focus away from the task at hand.

“Roger that,” she responded. Detaching the front and back pieces of the motorcycle, Helen shifted into a wide arc, allowing her to pass over cars as she shifted lanes. She was getting more used to doing hero work with the new tools Evelyn had made for her every day, feeling more confident testing the limits of each gadget as she went on more missions. They were all specially crafted around her abilities, which Helen was beginning to understand Evelyn had a very good understanding of, making their incorporation into her tactics smoother than she could have ever expected. Even then, Helen and Evelyn spent hours training with each new gadget, making sure everything was thoroughly tested before she ever had to go out on the field.

With all the new technology at her disposal, Helen was amazed that the tool that made the biggest difference in her abilities ended up being nothing more than a regular radio-transmitter.

Her pilot days made her used to talking over radio signals, phantom voices giving commands and sharing information. The difference was that now, Evelyn was the person in her ear. Helen didn’t know if it was because they had been getting to know each other better or because Evelyn was a naturally skilled strategist, but she always managed to give Helen the information she was seeking before even needing to ask. Her commands were firm, but yielding when Helen wanted a different approach; her requests for information urged Helen to be more observant, catching details she hadn’t known she mad missed. Overall, it was a perfect give and take.

And, she had to admit, Evelyn had a voice that she wanted to listen to.

Well. That was putting it lightly. Evelyn just didn’t have a voice Helen wanted to listen to—she had one that Helen wanted to wrap herself up in, following each syllable and consonant as it rolled off her tongue. She was completely transfixed by the way her every word, and didn’t even bother to deny it to herself anymore.

At first, Helen thought she liked hearing Evelyn speak through the radio because it made her feel reassured. Her voice exuded confidence, able to calm Helen even in the direst of circumstances. Having a source of security like that was new and exciting. She made missions much easier, and Helen knew that no matter what happened, Evelyn would be there to help. Of course she enjoyed hearing her through the transmitter.

But eventually, Helen had to admit that there was more to it than that.

Missions weren’t the only place where she wanted to hear Evelyn’s voice, when she was seeking guidance. No, it was during briefings, meetings with other heroes, press announcements filled with crowds of people all fighting to be heard—any time, any place. Every time she spoke, Helen wanted to listen and wanted to keep listening. She wanted to be able to hear every word that slipped past her lips, sometimes wanting to be the only one to hear them. When they were alone together, which was increasingly often, she practically hung off Evelyn’s every word, listening for every sigh or hum when she paused. Helen realized that eventually, it felt like she couldn’t get enough.

She wasn’t sure what was cause and what was effect. Did Evelyn acting as her guide condition her to associate Evelyn’s voice with security? Cause her to pick it out from any surrounding conversations or noises? Or were her feelings of comfort at Evelyn’s voice on unique to Evelyn alone? Helen had no idea. She couldn’t even remember when it had started. 

Helen also knew that at some point, she had started to want to talk to Evelyn not only to hear her voice, but in an attempt to understand what she was thinking. 

Helen had realized that Evelyn was constantly on guard; She could hear it seeping through her tone, each word chosen carefully to not allow any weakness sneak through. Through their late-night training sessions and regular tool development sessions, she heard it. Even in their late-night meetings, as the both of them sat warm and dazed and flushed from the drinks cradled in their grasps, glasses growing wet with condensation as ice melted to water, Helen knew that she was nearing a barrier but never fully crossing. Evelyn’s thoughts were like a hidden treasure that was constantly out of reach, always moving further back even as she raced forward, taunting her inability to catch up. Evelyn’s voice was her sole guide, her only compass in a world of utterly confusing feelings and frustrations.

“The exit’s coming up in a moment. Get ready.” 

She was jolted out of her thoughts at the sound of Evelyn’s instructions. Nearing the exit signs of the highway, Helen sped up in an attempt to leave her jumbled thoughts and feelings behind. Her mind occupied with the mission, she was able to focus on apprehending the stolen van without a hitch. Evelyn gave minimal directions, the both of them knowing Helen had it under control. She stayed silent as Helen finished tying up odd ends and answering questions with the authorities as well. It wasn’t until she was driving back to the Deavor mansion that Evelyn made her presence known again.

“Another job well done, Helen. You’ve saved the day, as always.”

Her voice was light as she crooned into the speaker. In times like this, she sounded almost as sweet as the Old Fashioned Helen was sure she was holding. Once Helen pulled into the garage, she knew Evelyn would be pouring her one as well. It was something they had both begin, an unspoken ritual that Helen had come to look forward to.

“Couldn’t have done it without you.” She paused, searching for what to say as she craved more of Evelyn’s voice. “Everything go okay on your end?”

“You know it.” A short laugh, more similar to a scoff. “No need to be such a mom, Helen. I’ve got it all under control. Trust me, I’ve got you.”

Helen grinned and sped up, eager to finally pull into the Deavor parking garage. “Sure thing, partner. Anything I should be ready for when I get back? Are we doing a training session, or any kind of meeting tonight? Or was the truck everything for the day?”

“You’re all set for the night. Winston went out of town this afternoon, so no more meetings. Unless you call lounging around and drinking with me a meeting. Which, in that case, yes you have a meeting. Hurry, or you’re going to be late,” Evelyn teased. 

Moments like this were when her voice was the lightest, the most open Helen ever heard her. Laughing, she sped up even more, relishing the feeling her hair whip around wildly as she went forward.

When she finally walked upstairs, having traded her costume for loungewear, she was met by Evelyn sitting curled on the couch with a book in one hand and, as expected, an half-finished Old Fashioned in the other. Helen joined her on the couch, grabbing the drink Evelyn had set out on the table for her.

There was a natural sarcasm to Evelyn’s voice most of the time, but in times like this, with the two of them were alone, that sarcasm gave way to something kinder. When she poked fun at Helen for overthinking things or worrying too much, there was an overt assurance and underlying affection that put Helen at ease. The world through Evelyn’s voice was one that flowed onward without her being there, one that neither Helen nor Elastigirl was responsible for. And when Helen was able to share more, vocalizing thoughts she had been keeping confined since becoming a housewife, Evelyn accepted her without judgement, urging her to share more and let out her buried feelings.

Ironically, the person Helen wanted to hear the most made her feel more heard than she had ever felt before. 

Maybe it was because she was coming off the adrenaline buzz of the mission, or because of the first drink, followed by a few others, or because of the way Evelyn laughed as they talked, deeply and sincerely, but Helen felt herself grow increasingly relaxed as the hours passed. She was in a good mood, and she could hear that Evelyn was as well. Their conversation flowed with a gentle push and pull, both listening and responding out of genuine interest in what the other woman was saying. 

Everything between them felt happy. It felt honest. It felt right. And tonight, for the first time, Helen felt like Evelyn was letting her in, sharing more of the way she really felt. She was being trusted, and she knew it.

Helen was more at ease than she could remember being in years, practically sinking into the couch as she hummed and put her head back. Eventually, as the night drew on, she felt her body growing heavier and let her eyes close as they talked.

It wasn’t until she felt the tickle of soft breaths at her ear and heard a voice whisper close to hear ear, low and rumbling and gentle in the way she had only heard Evelyn speak a few times before, that she realized she had been slowly slipping into sleep. 

“Do you ever worry that you’ve let your guard down too much, Helen?”

Helen shot back into consciousness. Suddenly very much awake and feeling very much more sober, she turned abruptly towards the voice, her face coming a few inches short of Evelyn’s. The other woman had crawled forward from her place on the couch, leaning forward on her hands and knees as she invaded Helen’s seat. Her eyes displayed a scared vulnerability that sent a jolt straight to Helen’s heart.

That was by far the most unguarded she had ever heard Evelyn sound.

Helen held her breath at their proximity, unable to look away from Evelyn. Her eyes were transfixed on that gaze, practically bewitched as she searched for answers to questions she wasn’t entirely sure of. They were both still for several moments, but slowly, Helen felt herself slowly leaning forward. She lessened the gap between them until their mouths were only a short centimeter apart, her eyes finally breaking from the penetrating stare as she dropped her gaze, almost closing them entirely, just as she stopped short of meeting Evelyn’s lips with her own.

The space between them grew heated, the breath that was at her ear only moments ago now mingling with Helen’s own shallow, constricted breaths. She was suffocating, unable to move forward but unable to move back. Responsibility and guilt fought with lust and the need for some unknown clarity she knew would come if she moved forward. She was held in place by her own indecision. She was powerless.

With a cruel mercy, Evelyn broke the stillness as she leaned forward. But what had been the space between them grew cold, as instead of closing the final gap between them, Evelyn slowly dipped her head lower. She brushed her lips almost imperceptibly against Helen’s jawline before leaning even further forward, till her mouth was at her ear once again.

“Careful there, partner.”

With that, the guard was back up. Evelyn’s barriers were back up and stronger than ever, emphasized as she gently began to shift her weight back towards her previous seat. Helen was pierced with panic, feeling that somehow, this had become a test where she had made the wrong decision. She reached out desperately, her eyes wide with the fear of knowing she had lost something, but before she could stop her, Evelyn had risen with her book and glass in hand.

Walking behind the couch towards her bedroom, Evelyn stopped behind Helen and combed her fingers gently through her hair. The gesture was leisurely and affectionate, but carried a message. Evelyn decided how close Helen was allowed to be from now on. “Make sure you don’t stay up too late— We have an early gadget test session tomorrow.”

Evelyn stalked away without waiting for a response, leaving Helen feeling lost in her own flurry of feelings. Finally, just before she was in her room, she spoke, leaving a final message to echo throughout quiet the house.

“Sleep tight, Elastigirl.”

**Author's Note:**

> I forgot how much I loved them until I checked my subscribed stories for the first time in a while and saw they were literally all Hevelyn, so I was inspired to write my own. 
> 
> As the tags say, little proofreading went into this. I also don't write a ton, but I hope the mistakes weren't too bad. Thank you for reading this far!


End file.
